@ZackTeibloom Kevin Barnes sings “We can do it soft core, if you want, but you should know I take it both ways.” After seeing him lead the spectacularly bizarre Of Montreal live show for the 5th time in 20 months, I’d argue he only knows how to bring it hard core.

You never know what to expect with the flamboyant Barnes. Well, you can count on too much eye make-up, absurd theater, laughably outlandish videos and the possibility he’ll take his clothes off, but it’s never the same.

Of Montreal put on my favorite show of Friday at Lolla, kicking off with the first track off their latest album, “Nonpareil of Favor,” and never let down for a minute until closing with the venomous “She’s a Rejector.”

It’s so easy to get lost in dancing at an Of Montreal show, but hard to avert your eyes for a second from the non-stop feast for the eyes on stage. The band came out in animal masks, Barnes had an Alice in Wonderland-esque outfit and their guitarist with his trademark pink wings is always fun to look at. The visuals extends far beyond the outfits of the band, though.

There’s non-stop theater with ninjas, confetti, balloons and the video screens, my god, the video screens. It’s like a scaled down Flaming Lips show, except the visuals actually go with the songs. Let’s not forget about the songs. For all the visual extravaganza, I could forget to talk about their lyrical gems and dance-y beats.

Only Kevin Barnes could pull off refrains like, “I’m sorry, but you will never have me. To me you’re just some faggy girl and I need a lover with soul power” and have a crowd sing the word fag along with him over and over on “Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” From there he went into “Id Engager,” which Festival Crashers featured heavily in our ChicBuds video.*

Barnes sang about how he could take it both ways before a brilliant cover of David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.” The rest of the set was a non-stop dance party and extravaganza before ending with two killers from Hissing Fauna, Are you the Destroyer? Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse” and “She’s a Rejecter.” I considered leaving a tad early to get a spot for Kings of Leon, but as Barnes cries in “She’s a Rejecter,” “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!” Since I had to leave Kings after three songs, this was my headliner.